Aarzu Khan suggests making changes to streamline business travel efforts such as taking advantage of TSA Precheck and travel health insurance, having travel policies in place, planning ahead and using modern methods when making plans. Using a travel agency, signing up for rewards programs and making sure everything is documented finished out the list of suggestions.

Business class is being unbundled at some airline to make fares cheaper for customers. "We have to make clear in the market that we are not disrupting the (existing business class) product, but developing it to a better quality standard…to give the customer the best selection for themselves in terms of individualization," Lufthansa's Harry Hohmeister says.

United Airlines' ConnectionSaver app has helped 40,000 passengers connect to flights while delaying flights an average of four minutes to accommodate them. The app compares passenger itineraries with flight databases and alerts flight crews about passengers who will be late, allowing them to adjust takeoff times.

Six artificial intelligence experts interviewed by Guestline envision a paperless, iPad-based future for hotels; wireless and smartphone technology taking the place of wired devices; and rooms and services managed primarily by voice command. "Technology is rapidly redefining what luxury means in the hotel industry," Guestline says, noting that in the next 15 years, "glass TVs, biometric room controls, and one-way privacy glass will be the norm, providing a more personal, immersive, and ultimately more relaxing experience."

While a hotel's design and surroundings speak to its luxury, guests really are seeking the value-added components -- the human element, brand strategist Daniel Langer says. He tells of a well-recognized hotel company that overhauled and upgraded its flagship property but neglected to train the staff to meet that higher level of grandeur, leaving customers disappointed and causing bookings to drop.